The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five institutional symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932. The first public concert was performed on October 7, 1932 in the Queen's Hall. In 1933-39, the orchestra participated regularly in the concerts of the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Royal Choral Society, in summer opera – in Covent Garden performances, and in many festivals (Sheffield, Leeds, and Norwich). As was written in the Manchester Guardian newspaper: "Never before in Manchester have we heard orchestral playing that combines such nobility of style and brilliance of performance throughout the programme".

Since the late 1930s, the London Philharmonic Orchestra (after the outbreak of World War II) has become a self-governing organization, headed by a chair and a group of directors elected from among the orchestra members.

During the war, the LPO performed both in the capital and on tours throughout the UK. The Orchestra took part in the last concert given in the London Queen's Hall before it was destroyed by the bombshell.

In 1949, the LPO gave a record-breaking 248 concerts. Since the 1950s the ensemble has gained a reputation as one of the best orchestras in Europe. The work of the conductor Adrian Boult, who led the orchestra in the 1950s - early 60s, was of great significance. Under his leadership, the orchestra subsequently toured in many countries, including the USSR. Bernard Haitink was appointed the principal conductor of the LPO. He had been working in the orchestra for twelve years. The concerts with his participation were very popular with public. In 1964, the LFO received an important engagement as the main orchestra, playing at the Glyndebourne Festival during the summer months. The orchestra's main venue since 1993 has been the Royal Festival Hall. In addition to Glyndebourne, the LFO performed regularly at the Theatre of Congress, East Bourne and Brighton Dome, and toured nationally and abroad. The German conductor of Russian origin, Vladimir Jurowski, had been heading the orchestra for 14 years. With the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jurowski debuted in December 2001 and received rather enthusiastic critical response, stating, "love at first sight between the conductor and the orchestra". In 2003, Jurowski took up the post of Principal Guest Conductor of the orchestra, and in September 2007, he took charge of the LFO. Vladimir Jurowski also brought the London Philharmonic Orchestra to Moscow in 2016 for the Mstislav Rostropovich International Festival, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the orchestra's first tour to the USSR. The Englishman Edward Gardner succeeded Vladimir Jurowski as Music Director of the London Philharmonic in 2021.

The orchestra playing is distinguished by the ensemble eurhythmy, freshness of sound, rhythmic inhale and exquisite sense of style. The extensive repertoire reflects almost all of the world classics. Besides classical music concerts, LFO recorded several motion picture soundtracks, including "Lawrence of Arabia", "Philadelphia", “The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, and several musical albums for computer game series.

Music selection for the 90th anniversary of the first performance of London Philharmonic Orchestra is posted in the museum Sound Library.

In 1982, the orchestra celebrated its Golden Jubilee. A book published at the same time listed many famous musicians who had the opportunity to work with the LFO over the past 50 years. In addition to those mentioned above, some were conductors: Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Eugen Jochum, Erich Kleiber, Serge Koussevitzky, Pierre Monteux, André Previn and Leopold Stokowski, others were soloists: Janet Baker, Dennis Brain, Alfred Brendel, Pablo Casals, Clifford Curzon[en], Victoria de los Angeles, Jacqueline du Pré, Kirsten Flagstad , Benjamino Gigli, Emil Gilels, Jascha Heifetz, Wilhelm Kempf, Fritz Kreisler, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, David Oistrakh, Luciano Pavarotti, Maurizio Pollini, Leontina Price, Arthur Rubinstein.